Monthly Archives: January 2016

In what seems to be a long time ago, when we controlled where our baby (now rampant toddler) could and could not go, the most random thing happened, she busted out in the cutest spell of giggles we’ve ever heard.

I can’t go anywhere because I don’t know better yet!

Avery is a couple months over 2 years old now, but when she was 5 months old, I had her (safely) sitting on the counter with me as I was busy in the kitchen. I just finished making a batch of NuttZo Banana Bread and went to cut it as her eyes absorbed my every move. Then, right when I started slicing…..

Yeah, you’d think I was dressed in a clown suit honking my big red nose, not simply cutting bread I cooked a little too long. I tried many many many times after that to replicate the laugh for Going Mom with no luck. I’m just happy she did it when the camera was on, now she seems to freeze up when she sees the camera in front of her. Can’t blame her, I’d be annoyed at me too.

C’mon, dad, can you just put the camera down and PLAY?

It’s not on camera, but Avery has been giving giggles like the cutting bread episode almost every night as we play around the house or during dinner. It’s a sound that never gets old and always warms the heart.

Hope you’re having a great Sunday and enjoyed seeing a sweet baby laughing at such a random thing.

Since my initial review, the Trakline is the only belt I’ve worn. From date night to family occasions, I never had to “waist” time with what belt to wear, the Kore Essentials Trakline was a no-brainer. And it’s wife approved!

*cough* Valentine’s Day is coming. *cough*

As a guy who despises having to wear anything that requires a belt, I find that this belt makes it easier for me to accept. And for good reason, it looks damn good and will last forever!

Joking aside, do Karl from Kore (that flows well, huh?) a huge favor and head on over to support their new Trakline Express making it to production. As a small business turning out high quality products, every little bit helps. Plus, you even get a reward when you give your support!

To help with further persuasion (if you even need it), I have my original review below. You can thank Gary for giving me the idea.

No belt holes, but it’s still a belt?

This was my initial thought when I first heard of Kore Essentials and their Trakline belts. They have zero holes, are made of 100% full grain leather, and can be adorned with several unique, fashionable buckles that are solid stainless steel or high-grade alloy.

I love being limited to how my belt fits based on the one-inched spaced holes it has and how ragged it looks after wearing it a while. Said no one, ever.

But this is the case for those primitive belts with holes. Thanks to Kore Essentials, that’s all changed. Their Trakline belts are not only appealing to the eye, they’re high quality pieces of wearable waist art that will last virtually forever!

There’s a reason they are the #1 rated men’s belt on according to customers on Amazon.com, and it’s not because they smell pretty. Actually, the leather is quite pleasant. 🙂

Here’s the 411 on why the Trakline Belt is better than those other belts, direct from the Kore Essentials site:

FUNCTION
NO more belt holes to stretch out, wear out, or punch out yourself. Instead a hidden track sewn into the back of the belt and unique,
patent-pending buckle create a precise fit every time you put it on. The track features 40+ sizing positions (1/4″ increments), making
Trakline belts 8X’s more adjustable than a tradional men’s belt (5 one-inch holes). A discreet tab under the buckle allows you to easily
adjust, or remove the belt fast. Honestly guys, it feels like the belt of the future.

FASHION
We’ve designed a limited collection of classically cool men’s belt buckles for work, play and dress. At last, a mens belt that’s smart, stylish,
and simple to use. Makes a desirable gift for fathers, dads, grads, groommen and any guy looking to upgrade.

FORM
Our men’s belts are constructed of premium Full-Grain Leather (the best grade of leather). Full-grain leather improves with age, conforming
to your actual waist shape. The stainless steel buckles are handformed, 16 gauge, solid stainless steel and the alloy buckles are a high-grade
zinc. We built our belts – to last.

SIZING
Trakline belts fit any waist size from 24” up to 44” (XL sizes to 54″). Try on the belt, then trim off the excess leather (using household scissors)
to attain your optimal size range. Then the 10″ track creates a precise fit as your waist fluctuates in and out every day.

GUARANTEE
If you don’t completely love yourTrakline belt, just send it back within thirty days for a full refund. And of course all our products come with a
one-year, warranty against defects and breakage, to keep you happy.

MISSION
We set out to redefine those basic, essentials items you use each day. Our approach is pure >> blend innovation with superior materials to create
unique, more exciting products that exceed expectations

Yes, we were in the car, no, nothing like that. We ate and drank before in the parking lot before going inside to see the Imagine Dragons in concert. It was a great time, but could’ve been better if I had a better belt like the Trakline.

It comes with a handy belt hanger (that plastic thing that looks like a giant two-prong fuse), that allows you to easily hang your prized pants-holder-upper right next to your pants!

The included instructions on how to measure and trim the belt to your appropriate size confused me at first, but then I realized it was just the user….me! Essential-y (see what I did there?), if you have a good idea of your pant waist size, you can go with that number and trim off the excess leather that’s conveniently marked.

Then just clamp the buckle receptacle in place and you’re good to go. Being the goof that I am, I failed to take a picture of the full process, but lucky for you (and me), Kore Essentials has a handy dandy video to watch if needed.

After trimming off your excess leather, do NOT throw it away! It’s a little known fact that things not intended to be toddler toys, are in fact, perfect toddler toys!

Avery loved running around with this quality leather strap and completely ignored her actual toys for a full day! Even Going Mom was impressed.

I made use of my fancy new belt for a date night with Kelley last weekend and simply loved how perfect if fit around my waist. No in between holes where it’s too tight or too lose, it was just right. Hence the boyish smile I had when posting my attire on Instagram.

The shirt was tucked in to give a good view of the belt, but I quickly had to un-tuck after the picture was taken. We never had to open a beer bottle that day, but it was nice knowing I could if I needed to!

One of the great things about the belt is how easy and fast it is to adjust. After gulping a liter of water, I needed to loosen up a little, and with the Trakline, I could even do it on the “fly”. Bam, I’m on fire!

I love having a belt I can count on and quickly get on and off, and this belt allows just that. Plus it looks good, will last me a long time, and it looks good. Wait, did I already say that?

This would make a perfect gift for the upcoming Father’s Day holiday, or as a “just cuz” gift to the man in your life. Head over to the Kore Essentials site and pick one or a few belts and use code SAVE15 to save 15% off your order.

Like this:

We’ve been cloth diapering since Avery was born two years ago. Making the decision to use cloth instead of disposable diapers was a bit daunting at first (especially the cleaning part!), but it turned out to hardly be an issue.

Avery at 4 months helping me “organize” clean diapers.

Other than the obvious reason that cloth diapers are less wasteful than disposables, they actually save money. Another big reason is that so many disposable diapers are full of chemicals that found to be toxic to humans but still allowed use in diapers; at least in the U.S. Since I’m just here to show you our cloth diaper setup, you can read all about cloth diapers vs disposables on the Real Diaper Association site.

While I won’t claim that cloth diapering is enjoyable, far from, it is rewarding and poses many benefits to your wallet, baby’s skin, and the world. That said, cleaning crap off of the diapers several times a day can really get to you. So, in full disclosure, I admit that we do use disposables every now and then. Not the ones full of chemicals, but eco-friendly diapers from Honest Company are our go-to choice.

Just had to get that out of the way.

Our Cloth Diaper Setup

We use all BumGenius cloth diapers with most being their 4.0 model along with some Elementals and Freetimes. These are pocket diapers that require inserts. We use the BumGenius One Size inserts and stuff them into each clean diaper so they’re ready to go. They are all nicely placed crammed into a drawer in Avery’s room.

We never tried other brands, but we would if we could start over again. These work great, but now that Avery is older and so active/drinking and eating more, we have more leaks. The elastic can also wear out over time, but that’s probably a common issue in most cloth diapers.

To deal with the messy diapers, you NEED a diaper sprayer! The Bumkins Cloth Diaper sprayer is what we use and it has served us well. It does leak a little after spraying, but not much, and installation is easy with included instructions. We used heavy duty 3M double-sided tape to mount it on the side of the toilet and it’s been there ever since.

I also recommend the Spray Pal to avoid, ummmmm……splatters. It helps, trust me.

We use the Dekor Diaper Pail with the Dekor Diaper Pail Liner (of course) to store dirty diapers until it’s time for a dirty diaper load of laundry. Just remove the diaper inserts and toss everything in. Make sure you get rid of most of the poop!!

The liners come in a 2 pack, so when we take one liner bag out, we simply replace it with the other.

To wash, we the turn the liner inside out to get all of the dirty diapers out and run everything, liner included, on a quick wash/rinse cycle with no soap. What you clean your diapers with is very important as to avoid skin rashes on your kid. Make sure it’s natural and unscented. We have been using Charlie’s Liquid Soap without issue and highly recommend it for all of your laundering.

This is our basic setup that works for us. Some might have more of an elaborate setup and some may have less, it’s all personal preference. Since we’ve been at it for 2 years, I feel we have enough experience to share what we use in hopes it will help others interested in making the switch or just getting started.